romney had going into the debate was he did have to debate rick santorum, he did have to debate newt gingrich. it is like having a preseason. and the president didn't have that. i think the other key thing that came out of this is the presidential race for all practical purposes actually started last night. a lot of people just didn't know mitt romney and they do know him now and they came across as likable, even in his critiques of the president. and i think the base of the republican party is extremely energized after last night. >> anita, our own chris matthews said the president looked like he was enduring the debate than having a debate, fighting it out. we know senator john keshry was the president's sparring partner to prep him for this. what went wrong? i mean, why didn't the president display the passion needed, because it is really the undecides out there, both sides, whether you are for governor romney or president obama, why not display the passion necessary to keep the job. >> thomas, thank you for having me on this morning. people who watched the debate saw two different candida